“Sleep is the best meditation” – the Dalai Lama

We are often times too lazy to find time in our life for meditation. But, we always have time to sleep, don’t we? So, why can we not make the most of this natural way to meditate?

You might be wondering what we are talking about here. Well, we are talking about taking some simple steps that can help you not only to get a good night’s sleep, but also make sure that the sleep rejuvenates you as well!

sleep habits
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Let us have a look at what those steps are –

1. Don’t let your sleep cycle impacted

A big reason why people face sleep problems is because of the fact that they don’t take care of their sleep cycle. Our sleep cycle is scientifically called circadian rhythm. Sleeping too late on a regular basis has a negative impact on our sleep cycle. As a result of this, no matter how long we sleep, we never wake up refreshed after our sleep. This is the reason that being smart about napping and maintaining your sleep-cycle intact becomes a key to your daily routine.

 sleep cycle impacted
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2. Let there be light – but not at night

Exposing your eyes to bright light especially before sleeping, or while you are in bed, can deteriorate your sleeping pattern. Therefore, you should avoid using cellphones, tablets or other electronic reading devices as you are attempting to go to sleep. As a matter of fact, not keeping a television set in your bed room can be the best step to get a good night’s sleep.

 avoid using cellphone and tablets

3. Bring a change in your eating habits

Another quick step that you should consider taking, in order to ensure that you are able to make the most of the hours you spend sleeping, is to bring a positive change in your eating habits. By all means avoid consuming big meals before bed. Also, bring down the intake of sugar, as well as refined carbohydrates. Most importantly of all, limit the amounts of caffeine and nicotine that you consume directly before bed, as both of these are shown to disrupt our sleep.

eating habits
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4. Stay clear of all the negative thoughts

Another thing that can help you make your sleeping pattern better is to identify the negative thoughts in your mind and then attempting to focus on the positive. In fact, we published an article about overcoming negative thoughts. There are some great ideas in this article so check it out!

An additional idea is to maintain a daily journal for all your thoughts and then review them to see what’s popping up in your mind that might need attention. Also, things like taking some time out during the day to do some active thinking rather than leaving it all for night time can work great. Setting aside specific time for thinking also helps your mind become accustomed to having a worry-free sleep.

negative thoughts

5. Make your sleeping environment better

Finally, another thing that can work in your favor of a good night’s sleep is to make your sleeping environment better. One of the most important steps you can take is to set the room temperature a little cooler. Science says that 65° F or 18° C is the most appropriate to facilitate the most relaxing sleep. Also, arrange your sleeping area so that it is as dark as possible, free of clutter and well ventilated.

sleeping environment better
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We hope that these tips help you not only sleep better, but provide a much-improved quality of life as well. As they say, a sound mind lives in a sound body. So, to keep your mind and body sound, start following these tips and let us know how they help you in making your sleep, and your life, even better!

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